Demon Sword Maiden

CHAPTER 93 – JOURNEY TO YAMASHIRO PROVINCE

A gust of lake breeze rustled the pine trees on Ryu Island and hushed everyone into silence.

After Tamuramura fell to the ground motionless, a swirl of sakura blossoms went over to his corpse and retrieved Crescent Moon and Yasutsuna, returning them to Lily’s side.

“Lord Tamuramura!” Kiuchidera Tesshin rushed over to the lifeless old man and kneeled to check his condition.

His actions were a bit unnecessary as it was clear that Tamuramura’s aura had completely disappeared. With Kiuchidera’s level of strength, there was no way he didn’t observe this change.

Despite this, he went over anyway. How could a revered master swordsman like Sakanoue no Tamuramura die just like that? Thoughts of disbelief rattled his mind.

However, Tamuramura’s soul was already obliterated— he was dead in the truest sense of the word.

“Lord Tamuramura! Lord Tamuramura!”

Kiuchidera Teshin still wore his white mask and he remained somewhat calm under such grim circumstances. The few spirit jade warriors who survived the cat demon’s onslaught stopped fighting when they witnessed the fallen Tamuramura. Their wills crumbled and they sank to the ground weakly.

Lily placed the cat demon and Wanyūdō on standby and ordered them not to kill anyone who had no ability to resist.

Ui collapsed onto the sand and convulsed with coughs, blood bubbling from her mouth and gaping chest.

At the last moment, Lily made an extraordinary judgment and found the best opening to strike.

Her initial sword throw was just a pretense. Tamuramura had thought that Lily deliberately threw Yasutsuna in a way that Ui could avoid so it would target him instead. This move alone nearly took his life as he was wholly unprepared and suffered numerous injuries from the cat demon’s attacks during his weakened state. Tamuramura had considered himself lucky for blocking Lily’s desperate attempt and was blinded by complacency and carelessness.

However, Lily’s real killer move was actually Crescent Moon in her other hand. After throwing Yasutsuna, she unknowingly hurled Crescent Moon at the critical moment between life and death. Lily wasn’t sure whether she could pierce Tamuramura’s heart without killing Ui, but she tried her best.

Because Tamuramura stood only about ten meters behind Ui, Lily’s throwing motion was obscured by her body. Moreover, Yasutsuna that Lily had previously thrown was so successful in attracting Tamuramura’s attention that he didn’t immediately realize the sharp Crescent Moon pierced into his chest…

“Cough—cough—” Ui’s complexion was pale and she constantly coughed up more blood.

“Ui!” Kiuchidera put down the already dead Tamuramura and ran over to the bleeding girl. After all, the two accompanied Tamurakonoe for a long time. He held Ui in the crook of his arm and carefully probed her condition. Surprisingly, her situation wasn’t as dire as he originally thought.

He looked at Lily with some surprise.

By this time, Lily had easily untwined the threads that were now devoid of spiritual energy and stood up, putting away her sword.

“It looks like I managed to avoid her vitals in the end.” Lily sadly said and tossed a green life-recovery magatama to the masked man.

Kiuchidera Tesshin was surprised yet again, casting a glance at the woman in front of him.

“I’m not going to kill you so hurry up and heal Ui1. I’m tired of engaging in meaningless battles.” Lily’s stare was cold and lofty as if she was the Queen of the East— a rather merciful one.

“This woman killed Lord Tamuramura! Let’s fight her!” Some of the surviving samurai stood up again reluctantly.

“Stop it! Lower your swords,” Kiuchidera shouted with a sense of resignation but with exceptional calmness, “It’s over; we…failed. Treasure your lives and return to the dojo.”

“This…” The few samurai looked lost, dyed in the glow of the bloody sunset.

Lily turned to the spectators of Western land and raised her chest, “I give my sincerest thanks to all of you who stood up for me, a strange and unfamiliar woman from the East. Among all you warriors of Western land, there are those who retain righteousness in their hearts, just like the samurai back at home.”

“Sister samurai…” The beautiful young man, Kazama Mayuzumi, wanted to step forward and say something but felt a little embarrassed. He never had the experience of talking with a girl he favored and didn’t know what to say2.

Lily’s gaze briefly shifted and met his own. A grateful light flashed in her eyes and she nodded slightly at him3.

“Kagami Lily, you might as well kill her!” Kiuchiera Tesshin used the life-recovery magatama and his own healing methods to treat Ui’s wound while saying, “Although your sword missed her heart and her physical injury isn’t too difficult to deal with, that bizarre power contained within your sword permanently damaged her soul. Perhaps, after she recovers, she won’t remember who she is…”

Lily looked at the pale face of Ui who lay in Kiuchidera’s arms for treatment. A wave of melancholy swam through her eyes. She expected something like this to happen; this was the true meaning behind her feelings of sorry before.

“Her hands are stained with the blood of many and she has a painful past. In a way, this can be considered a good thing…”

Swish! Lily flung her big sleeves and turned around elegantly, saying no more. She walked towards the evening sun that sunk below the lake’s horizon, where the giant carp glowing with brilliant red-gold scales waited in the water. At this time, no one stopped her, neither did they have the ability to.

Kagura briskly followed and came over to Lily’s side to hold the sakura parasol for her.

The other demons of various forms such as Yuki-Onna, the demon hound, Wanyūdō, and the four-tailed cat demon, all followed one after another.

“So this is the genius samurai from Eastern land… We had all thought that Tamurakonoe would win this duel and bring glory to Western land, but who could have guessed that he would not only die, but his uncle, Lord Tamuramura, would violate the way of the samurai and rely on his overwhelming strength to enact vengeance on the victor. However, in the end, the dignified peak powerhouse and the number two figure in the Maro Dojo, Sakanoue no Tamuramura, along with nearly a hundred dojo elites, all died here at the hands of this Eastern female samurai. I heard that her life is full of legends back in the East. I am afraid that she will not stay unknown for long when she comes to Kansai…” A samurai from Southern land sighed with emotion.

“She isn’t unknown anymore. She hasn’t even arrived in Yamashiro Province, yet such a momentous event has already happened. I don’t think this woman can be called a genius samurai of Eastern land. She should instead become the Queen of Eastern land!” Another samurai stared at Lily’s distant figure and said blankly.

Makoto Oniwa went over to Kazama Mayuzumi’s side, “Ah, Young Master Kazama, there is no need to be so lost. I think we’ll definitely see her again.”

“Eh, I’m not lost!” Kazama suddenly blushed.

The two mikos also watched Lily and the powerful shikigamis she commanded with dumbfounded expressions.

“See, Little Kyori? This is how a real female samurai should be like. I will become a woman like Kagami Lily in the future!” Koko4’s breathing grew hurried.

“Sister Koko…”

The demon hound ran into the water, allowing Lily to use its back to leap onto the carp’s head without getting her shoes wet.

Kagura followed alongside her master while the cat demon and Wanyūdō returned to the Record of One Hundred Demons. As for Yuki-Onna, she returned to the mirror space. The carp thrashed its big red tail, turned around, and swam into the distance. It then adjusted its direction and circumvented Ryu Island, heading northeast towards Yamashiro Province.

At this moment, who else could hinder Lily from reaching her destination?

…

…

Currently, in a very distant village located in the forest of giant trees5.

“Keihachi, I don’t know where I lost my sword. Where can I buy a replacement here?” Shimizu inquired. She had learned that as long as it was daytime, she could possibly find the ancient jade by exploring outside the village and hunting demons. However, she still needed a weapon.

“Ribbit! Do you see that thatched hut over there with an arched doorway and a frog warrior clay sculpture at the side? That’s the weapon house where you can purchase swords!”

“Oh good…” Shimizu rejoiced but felt disheartened soon after, revealing a trace of worry, “Ah, but I also lost my money on the way. I have no money.”

Shimadzu6 rolled her eyes, “I can lend you some but the interest is very high— three percent a day.”

“Eh?!” Shimizu’s expression darkened, “Three percent a day? Is your Shimadzu Clan a loan shark?”

“Hehe, plus, you have to use your own body as collateral.” Shimadzu Inari scanned Shimizu’s delicate body with hints of desire.

Shimizu’s countenance darkened even more, “Aren’t you being too obvious? Do you think I am Lily? I won’t jump into such a pit.”

“Ah? Who is Lily?” Shimadzu asked, bewildered.

“Forget it, you wouldn’t understand even if I told you. I’m not even sure where I am so who knows whether I’ll see her again.”

“Oh! That Lily is not your lover, is she?”

“Don’t talk nonsense!”

“What nonsense? When you come here, it is almost impossible to return unless you find the ancient jade. However, it’s so rare to find one. It’s already considered good luck to find one in a year’s time, but there are at least hundreds of female warriors in this village. Given these odds, it may take decades or a century to find one— if you ever find one. Since you may not see that love of yours for a long time, why not stay with me instead? I will treat you nicely. Do not look at my dark skin, I am very well endowed. Oh, and I am very familiar with the needs of women~~~” Shimadzu tempted and leaned closer. There was no denying that although she looked a bit manly, her breasts were indeed large.

“That’s enough!” Shimizu said icily, “I have no time for jokes.”

Suddenly, she grabbed Keihachi by the cheek and pulled him up.

“Ribbit, that hurts! Ribbit! Quick, let go of me. What are you doing?!”

Shimizu’s eyes became gloomy as she softly whispered in the frog’s ear, “First, you set a trap for me to buy a sword and ask for a lot of money. Then, you imply that I was taken advantage of to get the money. This trick of yours might work on my sister, but it won’t work against me! Not getting that sword is equivalent to preventing me from seeing my sister. Anyone who obstructs me from seeing my sister shall pay…the price!”

Her seemingly soft tone carried some kind of unnatural tremor that caused the tree frog to shudder. He felt that this dainty-looking woman would suddenly do something beyond his imagination.

“Ribbit, ribbit! Don’t, don’t do this! Let go of me, ribbit! It’s scary— you’re scary!”

“Lend me some money with a zero interest rate and an indefinite repayment period, or else…7”

“Ribbit! Miss, spare me. Don’t scare me; I’m timid, ribbit! I, I have no money, but I know how to get weapons that don’t require money! Please, let me go!”

“Hmph, why didn’t you say so earlier?” Shimizu huffed.

LazyButAmbitious: rookie mistake. That’s one more avoidable enemy on your back. LazyButAmbitious: You have no chance unless you’re secretly a girl, my poor friend. LazyButAmbitious: don’t give the poor chap hope. LazyButAmbitious: yep, we’re screwed. Still haven’t gotten her official name. If we get her name in the future and ‘koko’ isn’t at least a syllable, I’ll keel over. Robinxen: Smash cut to the yandere waifu. Robinxen: Honestly author, there names are too similar. Curse you Chinese phonology. Robinxen: How dare you extort me?! I do the extorting here!